The Strength of Fellowship
by Animagical
Summary: The last thing two fans expected was to end of part of the Fellowship that they love. They were brought to Middle Earth by the Valar, but are they really going to be able to contribute? Based loosely on canon, mild language and AC.
1. New Sights

_(A/N): This is my first crack at a story, so pleaseeee, be gentle. Let me know if I make any inconsistencies or errors regarding Tolkien's world. It's so complicated and massive, and I'm a simple writer. I'm making it slightly canon, but not too much. Anyways, hope you enjoy! _

_This is based off a strange dream I had once._

It all started with the stupid compulsion I have. I'm a person who goes through phases in life. I'd get interested in one thing and then I'd get so totally obsessed with it that I couldn't do anything for a while. I'm also a person who can remember random, stupid little facts…let's just say…I can kick your ass at trivial pursuit.

There was a time when I was into musicals…so of course I go out and buy all I can get my grubby paws on.

Then there was a time I discovered Mexican food…yea…better not go there…my family almost put me away and the spiciness was murder on the digestive tract.

There was Harry Potter phase. Oh yea…That emerged when OotP was about to come out. I definitely went to the midnight party at the bookstore to get my book the SECOND it went on sale. Me, stupid-little-fact-knower, won first place at HP trivia in a landslide. One question was, "what was Ron's new wand when his old wand snapped?" Yea, I knew it. Amazing huh? (It's fourteen inches, willow, with unicorn hair btw)

Then there was the…you guessed it…Lord of the Rings phase.

My parents almost lost it then. It began when The Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001. I was 12 years old at the time. We went on the very rare family-outing-thing to go the Sorcerer's Stone that had just been released. I had to practically beg my parents to let me go.

Our cinema was located in the mall, right smack in the middle of the food court. When we got there, stupid us, we didn't realize that the just MIGHT be a huge line at the movie desk. My parents took pity on me and let me wander the 500 feet to the Waldenbooks around the corner while they bought the tickets. Silly me, so excited at the prospect of books, I didn't think something fishy may have been going on.

I was looking at an Artemis Fowl book when my parents finally found me. Only…something dangerous was about to unfold…

They didn't get tickets to see Harry Potter…no…

They bought ticket to see Lord of the Rings.

Suffice to say, I was not happy. They explained that it was sold out and that I'd just have to deal with it. So off they took me to go see hobbits and wizards.

I enjoyed it immensely. I definitely remember bawling when Gandalf "died". After that movie, at my little age of twelve, I became obsessed with Lord of the Rings. I devoured the books. They weren't picnic to read at that age but I managed it. I went to all the movies the second they came out and have all the posters and bookmarks ever made plastered around my room. If I hadn't been so knowledgeable, I might not be in this mess.

I remember my out of world adventure began when I was with my boyfriend, Cody. We were playing "make believe." _(Childish – yes, but I have no better word for it)_ I was sixteen at the time. We were on our own LOTR quest and the valiant lady Eowyn (me) was battling the Witch King (Cody) – with "swords". _(It just screams NERDS!!! Doesn't it?)_

"I am no man!!" and the lady violently stabs the black menace. He fell to the ground writhing in agony, the Shieldmaiden of Rohan TRIUMPHS!!!….

"OW!! That HURT!!" Cody looked reproachfully at me from the ground and was rubbing his stomach. "Your sword is longer than mine, I can't ever reach you!" He threw his fat, lumpy stick on the ground. It broke in half. He grimaced at it. "And why do I have to die?"

"You're evil. You're supposed to die. And I have to kill you, because no MAN can kill you, get it?" He made a face at me.

"You're such a nerd." Cody had yet to bask in the LOTR knowledge bank. He knew the main plot from watching the extended versions of the movies with me once, but didn't know more than that. He grimaced and started rubbing his "wound".

"I told you to get one that wasn't that heavy, no wonder you couldn't lift it, let alone reach me. And my sword is NOT longer, it's just thinner, so I can move it faster. I do not pity you, instrument of evil." I smirked. I had a slight pity for him, but it was so funny to see a seventeen year old on the grass rubbing his belly and grimacing like a little two year old.

"Awww, you poor baby." I helped him up. "Does the big bad Nazgul want to go inside now? Does he want a cookie?" I laughed.

Cody was about five inches taller than my five feet six inches. He had short, violently curly black hair. His eyes were always a mystery. They were bright green around the edges, with brown around the pupils. He was a little pudgy, but it was only the beginning of summer, and with soccer coming up for both of us, he'll be in shape soon. He wore a bright yellow tee shirt with "Nike" on the front and Bermudas. We were both in bare feet.

I have short brown hair that was French braided on either side in the back. I'm of moderate size, I had lots of muscles because I played soccer and danced. I was wearing a blue tank top and Bermuda khaki's.

I missed the sparkle in those strange eyes. "Sure." And before I knew it we were tumbling in the grass with him mercilessly tickling me.

I shrieked and tried to throw him off me. I got free and began running away but only made it a few feet before I tripped on a gopher hole, with his hand around my ankle and feet flat on my face.

"Damn, effing, gopher holes." He laughed and we both rose to out feet. However, out surroundings were..quite different.

The hills were alive with the sound of music…but it was unearthly beautiful music and…the hills weren't from a little town in West Virginia.

I was awestruck, and felt for Cody's hand, and to my relief, I found it and clasped it tightly. We were standing in a forest. A magnificent forest. The trees were huge and covered in a sparkly, glowing moss. There was no grass under our feet, but brilliantly green moss as well. The trees had a slight blue tinge to their bark and were covered in tiny ivy-like flowers that gave off a glow. I looked at Cody, whose mouth was open and his eyes were wandering the profoundness of this, almost enchanted forest.

The music, I deterred, was a chorus, singing acapella. It sounded so…familiar. I couldn't place it though. I began walking towards the sound, entranced. I was jerked back.

"No." Cody's eyes were wide and fearful, so unlike my current composure. His deathly grip on my hand was starting to hurt. "Where…where are we?" I gave him a blank look. He stared fearfully at me for a moment. I was always the one out of the two of us that explanation for things and that's what he wanted then. Then my brain snapped into action.

"Well, it's not home." I stated stupidly and was immediately ashamed for my bland and inadequate response. He looked, if possible, more terrified. Truth be told, I wasn't that frightened. I've dreamed realistically where I could touch things and interact and feel, but this was nothing like that. This was REAL. My heart started pumping fast. How we got here and why were questions that I didn't really care about at the moment. The question that was in my head was: "What world are we in?"


	2. Out of Place

_A/N: I know it's going slow and un-actiony in the beginning, but bear with me. We'll meet the fellowship soon enough. I'm having soo much fun writing this and I can't wait to meet the hobbits. _

I'm thinking about writing a Harry Potter fic too, but the seventh book is coming out next month, so I think I'll write one after Deathly Hallows comes out.

Chapter 2: Out of Place 

Cody was still staring intently at me. "Randy?"

I looked at him, excitement burning in my eyes. "Cody…I think…we're in another word."

"Another world? What the hell!! This isn't one of you fantasy stories, Randy! There has to be a reasonable explanation for all of this!" He fumed.

"Really? What's YOUR explanation 'O Wise One?" I really got annoyed when people told me I was wrong, especially when I'm right 99 times out of 100.

He grumbled.

"I thought so," I said superciliously. I listened for the music that he pulled me away from. I sounded so _familiar_. It was driving me insane. The woods were resonating with the sound. I released his hand and started walking toward what I hoped the music was coming from. I heard a sigh and rustling and Cody mustered himself to follow me.

While walking, it occurred to me that there were hardly any leaves on the ground. There were no fallen trees, no twigs on the ground, nothing. It was all very unnatural…and tidy. There was little underbrush, but the plants that did grow were clustered neatly around the base of the trees. Mysterious music forgotten, I stooped by one of the trees and examined them. I'd taken classes on plants and I thought I could identify them. There was a large plant that resembled a fern, only it had red flowers blooming in neat rows along the leaves. The red flowers had white spots on them. There were more flowers of indescribable colors and many sizes. I didn't recognize any of them.

"Cody," I called softly. He came and knelt beside me. "Do you recognize any of these plants?" His hand reached into my field of vision and touched the ferny-looking plant.

"This looks like a breed of fern." It was very hard to suppress rolling my eyes. "Yea, I thought so too, but it's not." I stood back up and stretched. He did the same. My aura of calmness must have been affecting him, because when I turned, he wasn't nearly as frightened as he was before.

"You really stick out with that bright yellow shirt, ya know."

"Want me to take it off?" He winked. I gave him a "shut-the-hell-up" look. I started walking toward the music again.

About two minutes of walking produced a path. There was a gap on the trees about fifteen feet wide that had hoof prints in the dirt. This was also the first time I saw dirt in this world. The music suddenly stopped.

Trepidation coursed through me now. I ran to Cody and we both looked around frantically. I looked up the path and a saw a tall, blonde man wearing a white robe about twenty feet away. I could see that he had intricate designs braided into his hair even from this distance. This man was giving off…calmness, yet that did not stop me from being afraid of him. He walked elegantly toward us.

He looked down at us and spoke something in a language that filled my body with the familiar music. I recognized what language he was using, and my heart seemed to stop beating. My eyes widened and the man frowned. I tried to glimpse his ears for conformation, and discovered they were pointed. I fainted.

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I woke up in a warm, blankety cocoon. "Mmmmm" I sighed. _I had such a nice dream. I dreamed I somehow traveled to Middle_…I sat bolt upright in bed. _EARTH!! Wha..?_ It was dark and I couldn't see_. I wish I could see_, and then suddenly, I could see. _Strange_..I thought..and then my mouth fell open.

I was in a room of some kind. The walls were made of a unknown material woven together that was quite elegant. I was in a feather bed next to the door, which was elegantly carved. Next to the bed was a small table and a couple of carved wooden chairs. The room must have been 10 feet by 10 feet and had a cozy feel. The light seemed to be coming from nowhere. Then a woman came into the room, she had dark hair and a gorgeous face. She seemed startled that I was awake, but then she smiled.

"Good morning, did you sleep well? My name is Lorinia" She gave me a once-over look. My eyes narrowed more.

"Umm…how do you know my language?" She laughed, a rich musical sound. I warmed up immediately.

"My father, Gleneth, looked into both your and your…um…partner's minds.."

"CODY!!! Is he ok?!" I forgot that I fainted on him, leaving him to fend for himself.

"Yes..he's fine. Gleneth gave you quite a shock though. As I was saying, he looked into your minds and discovered your language memory bank. It was relatively simple to learn you language after that, so he taught us last night."

"How long have I been here and where am I?"

"Ah…you are in the land of Middle Earth. You were discovered by a group of elves on our way to the Gray Havens, where you are now. I believe you know of us?"

"Yes…but how do you know I know?" This was utterly ridiculous…and yet…it wasn't.

"I said that my father looked into your mind, and to answer you other question, it is September 26, 3017" My mouth fell open. It was one year almost to the day before Frodo's quest.

This was all very exciting. My wildest dreams seemed to be coming true. _I'm living in a storybook!_ It seemed like an odd coincidence that I came so close to the beginning of the Lord of the Rings. Maybe these elves can help. But, how much do they already know? Their leader had looked into both of our minds, and I was just a knowledge bank about their supposedly fictional world. I wonder how much he knows.

"How much…DO you know…?"

"Oh, I'm not going to be the one to tell you that. Later this afternoon, you may see umm…Cody..," The word sounded like it was difficult to pronounce, "and my father will explain matters to you. Right now, I'm supposed to make you presentable for your meeting. I have breakfast ready for you, and I will bring about a bath in a few minutes."

I stood up and took in what I was wearing. It was a loose white tunic, made of the softest fabric I'd ever touched. It was tied at the waist with a golden belt. Under that was a pair of green leggings that fitted to my skin nicely. I felt my chest and bum. No underwear or bra there…I began to feel uncomfortable. "Um…where are my clothes?"

"We burned them."

"WHAT?! What am I supposed to wear?" I was embarrassed as well as angry. I felt my cheeks flush from both emotions."

"We will provide garments for you, do not worry."

I grumbled and murmured a "thank you".

"Do not be distressed, it will all be worked out at the meeting. Here is breakfast for you." Lorinia held out a tray that had food on it. My stomach grumbled. She smiled. "I'll leave it with you to eat."

She set the tray on the table and left through the opening to the room. The breakfast she left was looking quite delectable. It had many types of fruit, some crystal clear water, and a bread of some sort. I hope it wasn't lembas bread, because I wasn't a hobbit and could eat four in one sitting. I nibbled and found it all very delicious. I devoured the whole meal.

Lorinia came in a few minutes later with a couple of other raven-haired girls who were carrying a tub of steamy water. Lorinia nodded to the girls and they bowed and left without a word. "I have put herbs and soaps in the water that with help calm you. They also have properties that will make you irresistible and likeable, not that you aren't already." She beamed at me. "You may bathe for as long as you like.

She did not move to leave, however.

"Umm…" I was uncomfortable again. I really didn't want to get naked in front of her. I haven't been naked in front of anybody since I was like…four. She must have sensed my discomfort.

"If you are worried about exposing yourself, have no fear, for how else would you have gotten into those clothes if you hadn't been exposed already?" She grinned wickedly. I laughed. A wicked elf? There's an oxymoron for ya.

"All right…but I'm still not that comfortable."

"Nonsense, it's not like you have anything I haven't seen." She grinned.

With unease, I started to undress and got into the tub. The water was _heavenly_. It was absolutely incredible. It felt like my whole body was melting into bliss. I let out a sigh. Embarrassed, I looked down. She simply laughed.

"Yes, that's the reaction we generally get from humans when they bathe in our herbal waters."

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Hours later, I emerged from my room all dolled up. I was fussed over until I was ready to scream. I was poked and prodded for hours about how to do my hair and how to behave and act and what to say. The end result was worth it though. If I do say so myself I looked gorgeous. The elves had given my a blue dress that changed colors when I moved. It was embroidered in silver metal that had to be mythril. I was stunning. The team of five who had been my "beautifiers" all sighed.

Lorinia beamed, "You know, for a mortal, you don't look half bad."

I came into Middle Earth thinking that Elves were well-reserved people. After knowing Lorinia, however, I realized that they really weren't the stiffy people I'd read about and seen. _I'm basing this on one elf, though. It might not be accurate yet._ Lorinia and I were fast friends though.

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"Where is she?" Cody scowled.

"Patience, young master. She's coming soon. You'll be in for a surprise."

"As if I haven't had enough surprises yesterday and today already!" he snapped. Baro winced. "Oh, I'm sorry Baro, but I haven't seen her in a day and a half, I'm thrust into a completely new world I hardly know anything about, and I'm wearing tights!!"

"'Tis all right, young master," the old man replied.

"So, are we really in a city of the elves?"

"Yes, the Gray Havens is the last stop before the elves would cross over the sea."

"Why are you here, then?"

"Oh, well, I always liked elves. Proud people, and they give me works and are nice to me. I had a running out with my own folk a while ago."

"What was it?"

"I'd rather not say." He fell silent, his wrinkly face concentrating. He grinned suddenly. "Ah, here comes your little lady."

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"Ok, now my father is a generous and caring man, but be careful with what you say to him. He might do all the talking himself and only ask you questions. He works for the Valar, though, so he might have a solution for you."

"Ok, thank you very much." We were walking arm in arm and about to round the corner. I stopped.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asked kindly.

"Yes, please. Just til I go in to meet him." We started again. I didn't know why I was so nervous, it was just Cody after all. I mean..sure we where in an Elven domain right before the War of the Ring with no way of getting home, but I'm always one for adventure. I mean, I dreamed of being involved in my storybooks.

Around the corner, I finally saw him. I stopped. His unruly hair was cut short and combed. He wore a doublet that matched the color of my dress…and…leggings. I giggled. Lorinia gave me a knowing look and smiled. She kissed my cheek and went back the way we came. Cody looked up and saw me. He broke into a wide, goofy grin. An old man was at his side. Cody walked up to me.

"You look beautiful." He kissed my cheek.

"Thank you." I smiled at him. I examined the old man. There was something….out of place about him…it made me uneasy. He walked forward.

"G'day miss." He took my hand and kissed it. At his touch, I KNEW something was wrong. In one the books Frodo said something about Aragorn…"If he were our enemy he would look fairer, and feel fouler." I felt this way. "Baro at your service."

"Nice to meet you." I replied. "Well, let's go then." I took Cody's offered arm and we followed Baro to the grand Audience chambers of the Gray Havens.


	3. Explanations and Choices

Chapter 3: Explanation and Choices 

"Who's that old chap, Cody?" I whispered to him. He was walking about 10 feet in front of us, leading us to Gleneth.

"I don't know. After I was bathed and given clothes this morning, he showed up and told me he was to take us to Gleneth. Very regal man…errr…elf, he is."

"What happened after I ermm…fainted?" Fainting was very embarrassing for me. I almost never fainted. I must have given off the impression that I was very weak.

"He reached out and caught you before you hit the ground. He spoke to me again in Elvish, and when it became apparent I had no idea what he was saying, he beckoned to me. I had the feeling he was to be trusted, so I did as he said. He picked you up and walked along the path. I followed him. We came to a group of elves on white horses. I remember that a scene similar to it in the movies: the one where Frodo and Sam see the elves singing. He gave you to another male elf, Mendolas, and brought a horse to me. He motioned for me to ride on it. Gleneth rode next to me and somehow managed to communicate that he needed to look into my mind while we rode. He gave a signal and the elf column started forward. After about an hour, he asked who I was in English. I was shocked he learned our language that fast. He said he knew all about us from my mind and that he'll help us. Seeing as we had nothing else to do, I trusted him. We arrived here at about dusk yesterday, and they gave you and me a room to spend the night in."

"I told you it was another world." He rolled his eyes. "So, I guess things should be explained to us now."

"Are we going to try to get home?" Cody asked tentatively.

"To tell you the truth, this is almost like a dream come true to me. I don't know. Let's see what…"

"We're here, young masters." Baro interrupted.

Being lost in our conversation, I wasn't really paying attention to our surroundings. I looked up and gasped.

We were standing in front of a thirty-foot tall door. The were intricate carvings of majestic people on the surface of it. I inferred that they were portraits of the Maiar and Valar, Elvish "gods", so to speak. The more I watched, the more fascinated I became. The pictures seemed to move the longer you watched them. In the center, a picture of smoke and fire surrounding a man could be seen. That must be Morgoth. I said as much to Baro.

"Aye, that be Morgoth." Baro did a strange gesture with his hands when he said the name. I decided not to comment. I looked at Cody, who was awed speechless.

"Still want to go home?" I smirked. He didn't move or even blink.

"I guess your young master isn't up to much." Baro giggled in a raspy sort of way. It was kind of grotesque. I was reminded of a goblin in one of my video games.

"It's not that, it's just that I'm used to fantasy and unrealness, and he's not." I shook Cody. He abruptly closed his mouth and shook his head.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Well, here we go young masters," Baro raised his hand and knocked three times on the doors. They swung open immediately. Baro bowed and left.

"Well, here we go." I led Cody through the door.

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We entered a room as tall as the door and equally as deep. It resembled a football stadium, with long stone benches and an arena in the center. Huge, carved, stone columns rose up and circled the room. In the arena, thirteen chairs were embedded into the stone in a semi-circle. Gleneth filled the one in the middle, the largest, in all his glory. To his right, a chair was filled by another elf, this one with raven hair instead of blonde.

"Come down, please." We followed the steps in front of us down then stadium. When we reached the bottom, we were surprisingly tired. We walked arm in arm and bowed to Gleneth. The raven-haired elf had a military no-nonsense aura about him. While Gleneth was smiling, he wasn't. I got a chance to finally study Gleneth.

He had blonde hair streaked with gray, and an aged, wise face. His eyes twinkled and were all-knowing, all-seeing. I could tell he knew the secrets of the universe in those eyes. They were a blazing green. He was quite handsome, and I giggled at the thought of calling a patriarch handsome. I had no idea how many centuries he had seen.

"The one with the black hair is Mendolas." Cody whispered.

"You sent for us, my Lord?" I spoke to Gleneth. He smiled and nodded and motioned for us to sit down in the chairs in front of his throne. He leaned forward and pressed his fingertips together, regarding us.

"Yes, young lady, good sir. My comrade…and general, Mendolas." He waved absently. I inclined my head and was pleased that Cody followed suit. We then waited for Gleneth to speak.

"You young ones have me in a fix. I called upon my masters to explain matters to me. They have done so, and I will relay their message onto you."

"The Valar, my Lord?" I asked.

"Yes."

I was awed. Speaking to the gods…wow…

"Now, in order for you o understand this, I must relay information to you. People of your world and many others are under some false beliefs."

"Other worlds, sir?" Cody spoke up. Gleneth smiled at him.

"Yes, there are many worlds in the realm. Your world is…shall we say…the medium of all other worlds. Your authors create up supposedly fictional worlds and earn money off of things they supposedly come up with in their heads. When, in reality, they are writing about real worlds. The worlds are made up as they are creating them. It's all reality. Earth is the other world where authors are allowed to document other worlds. They set the history. The inhabitants from other dimensions have no idea the other ones exist, only a select few from each world know of the other's existence."

"Stories that take place on Earth, that may alter earth itself, so not have their own worlds, for their world is earth. Stories like you Harry Potter, are not real worlds because they take place on earth in your time."

"So…" I said slowly…"that means that when an author writes a story about a different universe, like say…David Eddings and his works, it's actually a real place? An they're documenting it?" I was shivering with excitement. "And we can get to them when we want to?"

"Yes and no…" Gleneth sat back. "You can not get to them whenever you want to, only people who truly believe in such things can, and only with supernatural help." "

I was crestfallen. Gleneth laughed. "Yes, I bet you were hoping to visit other places you have read, right?" I nodded.

"Well, we shall see after all this is completed."

"Sir?" I asked tentatively. He nodded his head for me to continue.

"Does this mean, we can travel to different times, as well as different worlds?" Cody looked up, hopeful.

Gleneth frowned, and was silent for a few minutes. "Yes, it is possible." My heart leapt, think of all the catastrophes we could prevent! "but…" oh no…a but? I bit my lip. "Time is so much more complicated than different worlds. Time is too easily altered to risk tampering with. In these worlds, it is unaffected by others, but if you tamper with time in earth, certain people may not be born. And if certain people are not born, certain worlds may be lost into existence. We cannot risk such a disruptance."

Cody's face fell. "Yes, young man, I know you wanted to go to see wars and prevent them and such, but it is impossible. Too much can happen. I am sorry."

"The Valar are the true gods in all dimensions. They come in many forms, depending upon the story from which they are in. Middle Earth is the only other true world besides Earth. Earth is from where saviors can enter other dimensions. You are the savior for this world, and you were brought here by the Valar." He said this directly to me.

I looked at him and then back to Cody. "You say this to only me, my Lord. Is my friend not part of this?" Cody was also looking crestfallen.

"I'm afraid not…"

"Then how is he here with me as well?" I was genuinely puzzled.

"He maintained physical contact with you when you were brought here. He was brought along as well."

"Why me?" I almost laughed out loud when I said this. I sounded too much like Garion from The Belgariad.

"You truly believe in us, miss. You are pure of heart and have determination that is unrivaled, and your imagination knows no bounds. Your passion is unrivaled and needed. You have an open mind and are loyal. This world needs you, both of you if you choose." He nodded to Cody. "You seem less open-minded, but you will prove to be an excellent warrior."

He gulped. "Warrior?" He asked tentatively. Cody wasn't a coward, far from it, but new concepts were difficult for him to accept. I placed my hand on his arm encouragingly.

"Yes, you see, the story of Frodo and the Ring isn't quite accurate. The Ring wasn't destroyed, Sauron won."

My mouth fell open in horror. Sauron winning? Impossible!! It was too horrible to comprehend. I didn't even live in this world, but my attachment was causing me to be heartbroken. Cody, though less-impacted, was equally shocked.

"But my Lord, the War of the Ring has not happened yet, how could you know this?"

His eyes sparkled approvingly. "I see the Valar chose well when they picked you. Excellent mind. Yes, well worlds have a way of cycling through times when things don't go as they are documented. Since Sauron won, and Tolkien told differently, the world reverses back to the beginning. Tokien actually changed his original story of Sauron winning to the Light prevailing, but the world won't heed to that. I, Mendoras here, and the keepers of the Three Elven rings are the only ones who know this. The Valar are always consistent. They, as usual, know everything as well. We need..outside help. That's why they called on you."

No wonder my knowledge didn't frighten him. They all knew what was going to happen already.

I was bubbling with excitement, and yet I was contemplative. How could I, a sixteen year old, aide the greatest adventure of our time? Another part of me was ready to burst. Sword fighting?! Archery? Even hand-to-hand! This was going to be AWESOME. Of course DYING never really occurred to me, I was too impulsive. But then, who would listen to a couple of teenagers?

"My lord, how can we help? I mean, we're only children to the people of Middle Earth. Neither of us has had any training in this area, either. I've never held a real sword!"

"I believe I can answer that." Mendoras had finally spoken. His voice was warm and friendly, despite the coolness of his eyes. His aged face was less attractive than that of Gleneth's, but it was still a nice face. "The Valar have decided that since they pulled you here against your will, we will give you choices that will aid your adventure."

He stood up and walked down to us. When he came before me he knelt, took my hand, and kissed it. A pleasant shiver went up my body. He smiled warmly at me. He pulled up a wooden chair and sat in front of me, still cradled my hand gently between both his own. Cody looked less than happy. Whether by Mendolas's attention all focused on me, or the breach of the supposed "personal bubble."

Mendolas caught my gaze. "I am the trainings master here at Gray havens, and the Channeler of the Valar's power in Middle Earth. The Valar speaks to Gleneth, and their power flows through me. We shall always be inseparable."

"We give you choices, first off: Young man," He addressed Cody for the first time.

"Yes?" he asked.

"The Valar did not mean for you to come here. Do you wish to return home?"

Cody looked at me and I wondered if it would be good for him to stay here. I could use the company, but I didn't want him to be in danger. On the other hand, if I stayed, I might not ever see him again. Cody bit his lip. He took my other hand and squeezed it.

"I do not know yet. I feel as though I don't belong here, but I am willing to hear what will be required of me before I stay." Mendoras nodded. He turned to me

"I do not need to ask you this question, Randy, for I know where your heart lies." I nodded. "another choice: We realized the same that you did as well, lady: that the people may not listen to children such as yourselves. For this we have three choices." He paused.

"You can stay as you are now and we can train you, taking in the risk of not being heard by a small voice. We can age you and then train you, but the process would be irreversible. Training would be long and hard, and I don't know if that is the best course of action. It takes years of experience to become proficient." He took a deep breath, as if weighing his words.

"And the third?" I encouraged.

"We can take away your humanity."

I pondered at this…what does he mean? "What do you mean, sir?"

"We can make you mythical creatures. We can't make you elves, for it will take a lifetime of teaching to pass you off as a real elf, and you'd still seem young to the naïve peoples."

Cody had been quiet for a long time. He spoke up. "But there aren't many mythical creatures here are there?"

"No, not many, but we can help you by getting rid of the age factor. You will have natural powers and will know how to use them by instinct. Others you would discover through time."

"But won't people notice us more if we're mythical beasts?"

"Yes, that is the drawback. You can change back into your human forms at times, but otherwise you must be discreet."

There was a long pause.

"Could I be a gryphon?" I asked quietly. (_I've seen both gryphon and griffin, and to be point-blank, I think gryphon just looks cooler. :P)_

Mendoras squeezed my hand. "Yes, your young man could be as well." Cody was silent.

"I have a question." I asked suddenly.

"Yes, my dear?" Mendoras blinked. I felt my cheeks burning. Elves and their sexiness…

"If we die in this place, since it is not our real world, are we gone forever?" Cody looked up sharply, fear etched in his eyes.

Mendoras suddenly sat back and put his hands to his temples. He had a look of either intense pain or concentration on his face. I cried out in alarm. Gleneth shushed me. I sat back in my chair.

"You will…no longer exist in this time. You will still be in earth, but in this world, yes…you would be dead. Your spirit would return to earth with no knowledge of this world. Only if you returned, would you get your memory back, and that is not possible."

I nodded. "Can I speak with Cody alone for a moment?"

"Of course." I took Cody's hand and led him from the arena to where the steps began a few feet away.

"You're going to do it, aren't you?" Cody looked at me, eyes full of understanding. I nodded. "I know this is what you love, and I won't stop you. I'll stay as well…for you."

Tears started falling down my face. I looked down, ashamed.

"Thank you." He kissed my cheek.

"Cody, I'm going to choose to be the gryphon. Our age and our inexperience will be the death of us out there. We simply aren't prepared in this form. I'm a female as well, you know the conventional ideas about females."

He nodded. "I'll do the same as you, Randy."

"We'll have to find the fellowship. It's about a year from now that they set off. We'll have that time to prepare." I was excited. We stood up and walked back to the thrones.

"We'll do it." Both of the elves moved over to us.

"You chose the beast, then?"

"Yes." Mendolas nodded. "It shall not be painful, but we shall put you to sleep." I will need a few days to prepare my strength and rituals, so I suggest you read up on gryphons in our library. There aren't many of them in Middle Earth, but we have extensive knowledge anyhow. You should also rest and gather up your strength. While not painful…it is a…taxing process."

Both of them did rather something unexpected. They got on their knees and bowed to me. I was shocked.

"We owe you a great debt, Lady."

"Lady," Gleneth spoke up, "it might be best if you picked other names while you were here. Your names are too…memorable and foreign. Gryphons also have magic tied to their names. Pick wisely." He took my hand in his and kissed it. "I shall see you tomorrow. I will show you around our magnificent city." He inclined his head to Cody and back away. Mendolas bowed to both of us at once and did them same.

"Good night, saviors.

* * *

Baro made his way down the dismally black corridors. Orcs and goblins kept spitting at him. After the sixth episode of hissing and spitting, he became angry and threw a blue fireball at the recent offender. He was left alone after that. 

He hated Barad-Dur. It smelled horrible and orcs were continully pissing and vomiting all over the place. He stumbled upon the half-eaten carcass of a cow. Grimacing, he blew it up and continued on his way. His master would be most pleased to hear what he discovered in the land of the elves.


	4. Discoveries

_A/N: I'm sick of writing in first person, so after this it'll be third. It's just too restrictive for my taste. We meet Frodo and Sam in this chapter!!_

R&R

* * *

**Discoveries**

"Wow, look at this. When a gryphon is feeling a particularly strong emotion, such as anger or hate, they are apt to slightly change colors. Gryphons are also able to make themselves invisible when they are frightened. Though becoming invisible takes lots of energy, the gryphon may eventually learn to become invisible at will. That's amazing!"

"Gryphons speak mind-mind. They can extend their field of reception by applying more power to their thoughts, or they can focus it so that only one person may hear them at a time."

"Another ability of the gryphon is that they can tell when someone is lying to them. They have to ability to pick up on emotions of lesser beings, like animals can."

"Oh my." I said, yawning. "I never realized that gryphons were so complicated. I simply thought they were animals that had above-human intelligence. I didn't know they actually had powers besides the ability to detect deceit."

"I think we have our work cut out for us." Cody rubbed his eyes and stretched.

We were in my room at Gray Havens, researching on gryphons like Mendolas had suggested. There were about 50 books that had mention of gryphons, but each of them had different opinions about their abilities. Cody and I were working on singling out the consistencies. There were very few. Some dictated that they were all-knowing beings that could crush your mind by simply speaking. Others say they were just dumb animals. I was getting annoyed.

"You'd think elves would be consistent."

"Well, these people aren't basing it on experience so far. I think they're just theorizing."

"Aww BS."

"Look, we change tonight I think we need to make use of our thumbs while we still have them. I'm not taking this dude's" I held up a scroll, "advice that they can move things telepathically. I want to spend quality time with my books. I just wish I could spend more time reading other texts, like…the Battle of Morgoth, the Second Age, anything!"

"You're such a nerd."

"No, I just simply like knowing things. I don't watch tv every chance I get."

"I looks up in the elvish scrolls and I think I found us names. My name is a Elvish derivation of "radiance": Alata. It's a Quenya name. Yours, I derived from "lion": Raw, pronounced Roo."

"Ok…those are nice and Lord of the Ring-ish."

"We should call each other these names from now on, once we transform. It'll give us magic."

Cody stuck his tongue out at me. "Look, we're going to be human for just a little while longer…do you think we could…?" he left it hanging.

I gave him a look. "What?"

"Ya…know..." He had a glint in his eye. I looked blankly at him. Then it clicked.

"NO!" he pouted.

"We don't know what the rules are here! I don't even know if elves do that!"

"How did they get little elves then?"

"I don't know! Drop it."

There was a long pause. It was finally broken by a bell tower-chiming five p.m.

"I'm going to the library again."

"Kay."

I left the room. Gray Havens was a beautiful place. All the buildings were gray, yes, but the flowers and trees were a prism of different colors. The effect was beautiful. The past two nights, I'd gone out to watch the sunset across the bay. It cast the city in a golden glow, making it seem as though it was almost on fire. The fire was a violent, black, angry fire either. More like a delicate campfire you start just for the heck of it.

By the end of the third day, I'd managed to find my way around without getting lost.

Baro showed us to the library the morning after our meeting with Gleneth. The feeling I had when I first entered the library was almost orgasmic. It was HUGE! It was 5 stories high. It resembled a mall building, with no stores and books along every edge. It seemed as though they made a miniature city out of books in Gray Havens. There were huge columns of books, countless numbers of chairs, sofas, cushions, and tables. Hundreds of thousands of books, millions most likely. This city was the wealth of knowledge in this civilization. Minas Tirith couldn't rival it. I immediately bolted to the librarian and asked for her assistance in researching gryphons. She looked down her nose at me, probably to see if I was joking or not. When I told her who I was, she smiled and pointed to a pile of books behind her on a table. Cody and I scooped them up and retired to my room, where we had spent the past two days.

I made my way down there now. I made it past the gardens outside my rooms before Baro intercepted me. The little man was our shadow.

"Good evenings miss." He said wheezily. He bowed and then grinned a toothy grin at me.

"Good evening, sir." I replied. I really did not want to talk to this man. He was simply...unpleasant to be around. It took Cody and me forever to get rid of him to be alone. He kept pestering us with questions about what we planned on doing once we left Gray Havens. Once we told him to "shove it" in many nicer words, he sulked and only pestered us when we left our rooms. I sorely wished to boot him in the rear end and leave.

"Off to the library again?" He proded.

"Um…no." I lied; I couldn't get rid of him there. I spit out the first things that came to my mind. "I was going to go visit Lorinia, actually."

His face fell. "Ah…well…my lord, Gleneth sent me to get you and your young man. They're ready for you." Wow, he actually said something that made me happy!

"I'll run and get Cody." Without so much as a goodbye, I turned my back on him and ran to my room. "Cody!!! They're ready!"

Gleneth and Mendolas stood before us. Mendolas was wearing a pure white robe with a heavily jeweled pendant hung around his neck. Gleneth was in pure black. We were in a small, cubic room. The walls were painted a sky blue. On the floor on the room, two equilateral triangles were inscribed in a circle. A candle was at each point, flames glowing different colors. Mendoras moved his hand and the lights extinguished, the candles the only source of light now. The air in the room seemed alive. I felt sparks running across my body. They weren't painful, only slightly ticklish.

"You feel the magic in your bodies?" We both nodded.

Mendolas smiled. "Have you picked names for yourselves?"

"Yes, I am Alata, and Cody is Raw." I was shivering with excitement. Mendolas laughed.

"Radiance and Lion? Well picked. I like them. When you refer to each other in your human names, your human forms will emerge. That is why it is essential that you refer to each other, even in thought, by your new names."

"So, if I think of her as "randy", then she will be human again? And if I say Alata, she will be a gryphon?"

"Yes. Slip-ups will result in people knowing who you truly are. This magic will conceal your minds and help strengthen them against external penetration as well as change your bodies."

"Now, I know you wanted to view our magic, but the Valar fear of someone taking that knowledge from your mind. We are going to put you to sleep. The process of transforming itself is not painful, but it takes a few days." You will wake up when you are Beasts. Do you accept?"

"Yes." We both intoned.

"Good. We shall see you in a different light." Then the world went black

* * *

My mind awoke before I did. It was…different…I could hear everything around me: birds singing, rustling of the leaves, slow breathing beside me. My mind seemed quicker, and I could almost see white power flowing through it. I opened my eyes. Bright colors washed over my senses and I recoiled from the intake of information. A bird was singing to his mate, Elvish children laughing and playing, water boiling in a nearby house. I knew the exact amount of trees that were around me in one glance. My senses were overcome. I shut my eyes tight. I opened my eyes again, expecting the same flood of information.

The world seemed…alive. Colors were more vibrant, the outlines of leaves and buildings extra sharp. Numbers of things flooded through my head…. 14 trees in the courtyard, 532 stones circled the courtyard we were in, 43 elves within my mind-hearing range. It was…amazing. I never processed so much information before in my life. I almost felt the number and feelings being sort through by my mind into different compartments, for easy access to later. I tried to stand up, and found I could do so.

It felt…different…I felt…powerful. I knew what I looked like. I had an eagle's head and wings, with a lioness body. My paws had large, sharp claws retracted into them and my beak would easily tear flesh from bone. I flexed my wings experimentally. They reached out for 6 feet on either side of me. They were made of tawny and white feathers, tipped in black and blue. I folded them up neatly onto my back, surprised at how close they could come to my body. I examined my front paw, and flexed my claws. Five, Four inch long wickedly curved spiked came from my paw. I shuddered in excitement. I was a beast. I was Alata. Radiance.

Raw looked very much they same as I did only he was a dark chocolate to my tawny. He was sleeping with his head on his paws, wings fold neatly on his back. His feathers were dark chocolate tipped in blood red and blue. Brown feathers melded neatly into a brown, glossy coat, that I was sure to adorn as well. He was emitting peace, but slightly restless, meaning he must be in the REM cycle of sleep.

He eyes fluttered opened. He was gazing right into my eyes, and with a shock I noticed he still had those same mysteriously colored eyes, only with vertical slits for pupils instead. He emitted fear now and hastily tried to back up, which he did, feathers and fur all standing on end. He hissed. He closed his eyes in pain and I knew he was taking in he sensory overload like I was. He opened his eyes again after a minute.

_Silly Goose,_ I said with my mind. He deflated, and came up to me in wonder.

_You're beautiful_ was all he said. He preened my neck feathers. _As are you_, _come; let us find our elders._

* * *

It was a year later. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee we eating a delectable supper on a cookout at the farthest reaches of the Shire. It was nearing darkness.

"Ah, food!" Frodo tore off a piece of bacon and popped it into his mouth. "Mmm, you know Sam, this just may be an adventure after all."

"If you call sleeping on rocks and roots and adventure, then yes. It doesn't mean it has to be fun" Sam replied. "I'd much rather be home eating mashed potatoes with some ham and sleeping in a nice, feather bed." Frodo chuckled and pulled out his pipe. The two hobbits sat in quiet contentment while they finished their meal.

"Sam." Frodo said suddenly.

"Yes, Mr. Frodo?"

"Do you hear that?" They both listened. A soft music was coming from the forest. "Elves!" They both abandoned their camp and ran toward the music. They hid behind a log when they spotted the source.

A long procession of Elves was making their way through the forest, singing. Frodo and Sam were awed. "Wow, Mr. Frodo! We're seeing elves!"

"You'll be seeing many of them soon, after all, Rivendell is an Elvish community. Greetings, young masters."

Frodo and Sam froze. The voice wasn't from either of them. It was female. It carried power with it, and it didn't seem entirely…human, or Elvish, or hobbit speech. It was beastly. They instantly huddled closely together, Elves forgotten, and looked around hurriedly.

A musical laugh, "Silly hobbits, look up." They complied. Both of their mouths fell open in horror, and they bolted. A large something landed just in front of them. It was like a large, tawny bird, only, it had a cat's body. It was looking at them in a way they didn't like. It seemed to be almost…grinning.

"Naughty hobbits, no running away." It was the voice they heard before. It must be coming from the creature. Frodo and Sam were shaking with terror. "I won't hurt you."

Frodo wasn't going to favor that, so he grabbed Sam's hand and bolted off in the other direction. They made it about two steps when another thing landed in front of them with a large thump. It was the same as the other only this one was larger and was a dark brown color. "No, young hobbits, she said no running away." Frodo and Sam found themselves huddled on the forest floor holding each other tightly and sobbing. Gandalf hadn't warned them about huge, flying creatures. Suddenly, the moss below them wasn't there anymore. They couldn't move either. Instantly, they both stopped sobbing. What was going on? Then they were suddenly free. They both scrambled to their feet. They were in front of the tawny beast again.

_**I told you you would scare them! Look at them, they sobbing and shaking with fright! **_A voice thundered in their minds, making them cover their ears in pain. It was another beast voice, only male. It sounded angry.

_**I was fine, I just didn't realize how small they actually were! Don't yell at me! You wouldn't have fared any better!**_ The beast noticed Frodo and Sam covering their ears. "Look what you did, your voice was too loud." She, they assumed it was a she, sat down in front of them and bent her head down. This made her eyes level with theirs. When sanding, her shoulders had been as tall as they were. Now, she seemed less formidable. "I'm very sorry Mr. Baggins, Mr. Gamgee, but I don't know how I can make myself seem less frightening to you."

"You…you know our names?" Frodo squeaked.

"Yes, young hobbits, we are friends of Gandalf the Gray."

"I don't believe you! You…you work for him!"

"No, we do not. If we were, wouldn't you be dead already?" She looked at them with her unnaturally clear blue eyes. "We are here to help you reach Rivendell. The black riders are looking for you." She filled her voice with truth and reassurances. The hobbits relaxed under her gaze, but hadn't let down their guard.

"You won't eat us?" piped out Sam. He still wasn't sure

She laughed. "No, dear hobbits, we won't eat you. We…" She stopped suddenly and looked above the hobbits heads. Her feathery ears were laid back, and she opened her mouth and hissed. She felt death approach. The other creature started to growl. _**GET DOWN!**_ Her voice thundered in their minds. They complied and she leaped over them to attack a black shape that appeared out of nowhere. The hobbits retreated into the forest.

They hid behind a log, and turned to watch and saw the two creatures battling with 3 black figures. One had managed to set a cloak on fire. It was shrieking in a high, hissing voice and ran back into the darkness. The tawny one had a long bloody cut down her back. She leapt into the air and flew above their black rider's heads. She tore the sword of out its grip and landed on the figure. She jumped away and the rider vanished into the woods. The third was nowhere to be seen. The woods were silent for a moment.

The dark brown one came over to the tawny and began rubbing his head against hers. She rubbed back and began looking around.

Frodo's head was pounding in rhythm with his heart. "We have to get to camp, Sam!" They were running hand in hand as fast as possible toward their camp. Frantically, they stuffed they blankets, pots, and clothes into their packs and started to run down the path. Where they were running to and what they were running from, they did not know.


End file.
